Brand deals pay for reach. Commission pays for outcomes.
Section titled “Brand deals pay for reach. Commission pays for outcomes.”A sponsored stay or paid post is a one-time fee for a piece of content. It is priced on audience size, needs negotiation each time, and it stops earning the day the post scrolls away.
Commission works the other way. The content stays up, the link stays live, and it earns whenever someone books. Small, specific audiences often do better here than large general ones, because the recommendation is trusted and the intent is real.
| Brand deal | Booking commission | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid for | The content | The confirmed booking |
| Priced on | Follower count, reach | Booking value |
| Earns | Once | Every attributed booking |
| Needs a media kit | Usually | No |
| Follower minimum | Usually | No |
| Works on old posts | No | Yes, while the link lives |
The two are not in conflict. Creators frequently take a fee for a launch and keep commission running underneath it.
What you actually earn
Section titled “What you actually earn”On Wink the default is a 10% commission, calculated after the hotel’s 1.5% platform fee and card processing rather than on the gross booking value. On a $100 booking that is about $9.45. On a $1,200 five-night stay it is about $113.
The click is credited to you for 6 months. That matters more than it sounds: a viewer sees a reel in March, saves it, checks dates with a partner, and books in May. A 7-day or 30-day window would have thrown that booking away.
What you need before you can earn
Section titled “What you need before you can earn”- Somewhere bookable to send people. A storefront of the hotels you actually recommend, not a homepage link.
- Hotel-controlled rates. The price you show should be the hotel’s own, so your audience does not find it cheaper elsewhere and lose trust.
- One link per context. Separate links for a reel, a story, a newsletter and a bio, so you can see what works.
- Attribution that survives the gap between watching and booking.
What to post that actually converts
Section titled “What to post that actually converts”- Specific over general. “The room to ask for at this hotel” beats “10 best hotels in Bali”.
- Answer the practical question. Price range, what is walkable, whether the pool is quiet, whether the breakfast is worth it.
- Put the link where the intent is. At the moment you describe the room, not only in the bio.
- Keep old content earning. Update links on posts that still get views instead of only chasing new ones.
- Seasonal reruns. Destination content resurfaces every year; a live link makes that free traffic monetisable.
How it works on Wink
Section titled “How it works on Wink”You browse eligible hotel supply, build a link, card, map or storefront from it in Studio or WinkLinks, and post it. When someone books, Booking Engine fulfils it with your attribution attached, and the commission is reported against your account. The hotel keeps control of rates and availability; you keep the relationship with your audience.
Joining is free. Manual posting and WinkLinks publishing stay free — only AI content generation in Social is usage-priced, and you never need it to earn commission.
Common mistakes
Section titled “Common mistakes”- Sending people to a homepage. Every extra click loses bookings.
- Promoting a rate you do not control. If your audience finds it cheaper, you lose the booking and some credibility.
- One link everywhere. You cannot improve what you cannot attribute.
- Only posting new content. Older posts with live links often out-earn new ones.
- Waiting for a follower threshold. Commission has no minimum; a small engaged audience is enough to start.